Everything Grows in Cali

We had a wonderful time two weekends ago in California. I was ecstatic about seeing Gma and Gpa Wren's garden and was very impressed. They kept on saying how this was the worst month, harvest-wise, to come see them, as they were getting everything planted for the winter garden and the summer garden was sparse...but not to me! It is a wonderful hobby that I can see they take very seriously and definitely reap the benefits of it. Our visit was short and sweet; Michael and I are looking forward to another California road trip come Thanksgiving.

They didn't let us go without filling up on Nature's Bounty. We brought back two huge bags of ripe tomatoes, 2 cans of beets, 1 can of strawberry jam, 1 can of salsa, an acorn squash and butternut squash, as well as 1 honeydew and 1 crinshaw melons! The salsa was gone within the first 2 days of being back. The melons in the first three days. I dehydrated most of the tomatoes and those were gone in the first week. We made a dent on the jam as well. WOW. You can really taste the difference between fresh and fake. Yeah yeah, I'll take an apple over applesauce any day, but I would also take organically grown over inorganic without hesitation. Some foods I'm not as picky about, some I'm 100% organic 100% of the time, but regardless, homegrown trumps both, handsdown. 

The whole 24 hours we were in Cali, I couldn't help but notice how EVERYTHING just grew! Once we got over the Sierra Nevadas, we started seeing signs everywhere to pull over, fresh fruits and veggies, farmer's markets etc. I was salivating just looking out the window at the vineyards and acres upon acres of farmland. I've driven cross-country many times, and I've seen the beautiful wheat, cotton, corn, and sunflower fields of the midwest, but the colors of California were unbeatable! Gpa Wren was bragging in his own right about how his neighbors grapefruit and lemon trees on opposing sides of his yard, drop dozens upon dozens of ripe fruit onto his yard. They then gather the extra fruit and use it for fresh-squeezed lemonade among other things. It all seemed too good to be true! Needless to say, I am plugging for California when it comes time for us to move.

The last two weeks have been wonderful in that I have found support beyond which I thought was available to me. Most people that I have talked to or read about find out about raw foods through a traumatic diagnosis or health concern, usually cancer, diabetes, candida, allergies, or an auto-immune disorder. The majority of these ailments plague older generations, and so it has been difficult for me, a healthy 21-year old, to find common ground with my peers when it comes to food. My sister's mother-in-law referred me to her friend, Lara, who holds support group meetings once/week here in Provo! I already go to a once/month potluck at Kathrines, but was very excited to learn about a meet up that was more local to me, and on a weekly basis. I've gone the last two weeks and it has been immensely helpful to share my story and hear about other people's journeys. I know it sounds cliche, but it has made all the difference. I recently contributed to Agi's Recipe Book as well, which gave me the oppertunity to attend a dehydrating class of hers yesterday! It was inspirational to learn about Agi and her healing through foods. She is really the source for me of where I first heard about raw food. She sparked my interest before anyone or anything else. As my mentor, Agi really made a difference in my life, more than she knows. I filled my dehydrator to capacity this morning making her recipes.

A recipe for fruitleather that she gave us yesterday:

1 cup any fruit

2 T ground chia

2 T ground flax

2 drops lime essential oil

1/4 t cardomon 

splash of water

a little agave

Blend and dehydrate overnight. Yummy!